# How many manis in a bottle?



## tgooberbutt (Jan 18, 2013)

Hey all - So, I don't think I've ever 'hit bottle' on a bottle of polish. I wondering how many manis do you guys get out of the typical bottle of polish?


Regular 15ml bottle
OPI mini - 3.75ml
Julep 8ml

What happens to polish that you don't use?


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## shandimessmer (Jan 18, 2013)

I've used a few of the little mini OPI bottles and a couple of full-size bottles, so it is possible, but it also isn't super easy. Any left over nail polish, I just keep in my collection, because I'll eventually use it, even if it just for nail art or something.


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## zadidoll (Jan 18, 2013)

Nail polish doesn't spoil like cosmetics, so long as you properly store it away from heat and light it will last a very long time. I have bottles going back several years and from time to time use those polishes. It eventually will break down over years just like paint in a can will eventually break down over time but with proper storage it will last years. I have used up several bottles of polishes over the years and when my hoard/stash/collection was under 15 polishes I could use up a 0.5 oz bottle in about six months, give or take.

I do tend to keep my polish around even if it becomes very thick or no longer is useable simply for the sake of being able to reference the color in an attempt to dupe.


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## Dalylah (Jan 18, 2013)

If your polish does get goopy or too thick just add a drop or two of polish thinner to it and it's fine again. This is purchasable at Sallys for a couple of dollars.


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## deactivateduser232015 (Jan 18, 2013)

For Julep, I can safely estimate about 10-12 manis per bottle, but it is related to how long your nails are and how many layers you do/how thick each layer is.

The OPI minis are about half of that and the OPI about twice, so I'd say 4-5 manis out of a mini (1/8fl oz) and about 22-25 manis in a 15mL bottle. Though I have a mini from the S!OPI collection, Dear Diary, which I basically demolished 2/5s of with one manicure. Yeesh.

Nail polish spoils, though, or at least cheap nail polish does, especially if you don't take care of it. I have some bottles from the last 3-5 years that are completely dried out and basically unsalvageable even with thinner. Thinner only helps if it's goopy ): Brands known for their quality -- like OPI and Zoya -- tend to stay usable, even if you might need to thin it.

Actually, there's a really touching story from the owner of workplaypolish.com about how she found a super super vintage bottle of Zoya from when her mother passed away. Apparently the bottle is from 1995 (or possibly 1997), but she says that when she used it, the quality of the polish was basically perfect despite being 17+ years old, no thinner needed! That's why I always invest in quality polish XD Or so I justify to myself


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## Dalylah (Jan 18, 2013)

> Originally Posted by *Kyuu* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> Nail polish spoils, though, or at least cheap nail polish does, especially if you don't take care of it. I have some bottles from the last 3-5 years that are completely dried out and basically unsalvageable even with thinner. Thinner only helps if it's goopy ): Brands known for their quality -- like OPI and Zoya -- tend to stay usable, even if you might need to thin it.


 I actually have 50 cent Wet n Wild nail polish that I bought more than a decade ago that still works fine. The catch is that I stored it properly (like Zadi mentioned) and along the way I thinned it before using. I think it's just a maintenance thing. Obviously now that I have around 400 polishes it is much harder to do that sort of thing. For the average polish user it wouldn't require that much time to double check your polishes every 6 months.



> Originally Posted by *Kyuu* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> For Julep, I can safely estimate about 10-12 manis per bottle, but it is related to how long your nails are and how many layers you do/how thick each layer is.


 This is definitely true. Sometimes I do one layer of polish and sometimes I do 4.


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## beautymadn3ss (Jan 18, 2013)

> Originally Posted by *Kyuu* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> Actually, there's a really touching story from the owner of workplaypolish.com about how she found a super super vintage bottle of Zoya from when her mother passed away. Apparently the bottle is from 1995 (or possibly 1997), but she says that when she used it, the quality of the polish was basically perfect despite being 17+ years old, no thinner needed! That's why I always invest in quality polish XD Or so I justify to myself


 That IS a really touching story! And wow! Zoya polish is pretty awesome and also their cs haha!

This might not be regular nail polish, but I had a bottle of Nailtiques formula 2 that lasted me for about 3 months. I only used one coat about 3-4 times a week. The bottle is 4ml/1/8 fl oz. So I guess if it was nail polish, it would do 2 coats and it would last half that time.


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